Medical negligence: Chg authorities told to pay Rs 19.73 lakh

A consumer disputes redressal forum in Chhattisgarh has ordered Raigarh district authorities to pay a compensation of Rs 19.73 lakh to a 37-year-old man whose wife and unborn child died due to alleged medical negligence on part of two government doctors in 2015.

The Raigarh District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum has ordered the district collector, Raigarh chief medical and health officer (CMHO), chief medical officer (CMO) of Raigarh district hospital, gynaecologist Dr Lalita Rajnala and Medical Officer Dr Rajesh Kumar Singh to pay the amount to Bhagwat Prasad Rathore, husband of late Sashikala Rathore (32), his lawyer JS Thakur said Saturday.

The forum also said that the amount should be paid within a month, failing which nine per cent annual interest would be levied from the date of July 22, 2016, the day on which the petition was filed, he said.

Rathore had moved the forum demanding compensation of Rs 19.73 lakh alleging negligence on part of Dr Rajnala and Dr Singh.

The forum Chairman M D Jagdalla issued the compensation order on Friday, Thakur said.

In his petition, Rathore named Raigarh collector, CMHO and CMO of Raigarh district hospital as respondents, besides the two doctors, he said.

As per the petition, Sashikala, who was ten-month pregnant, was admitted with labour pain in Kharsiya civil hospital of the district on the night of July 26, 2015.

"Dr Rajesh Kumar Singh and gynecologist Dr Rajnala, both posted at the hospital, did not turn up for duty despite being informed by a nurse," Thakur said.

He said Dr Rajnala reached the hospital at around 2:30 am, and asked Rathore to shift his wife to Raigarh district hospital, a distance of around 40 kms.

At around 4 pm on July 27, Rathore admitted his wife in the district hospital where a nurse told him that surgery need to be done, and asked him to bring some medicines.

After a short while, the nurse informed Rathore that his wife and her unborn child have died, Thakur said.

In his petition, Rathore contended that deficiency of service and medical negligence by the two doctors in Khasriya hospital led to the death of his wife and the unborn child, Thakur said, adding that evidences were submitted and witnesses were produced before the forum.

The postmortem report had also pointed that the woman died because of the delay in delivery, he said.

"On Friday, the forum directed the respondents to pay compensation of Rs 19.73 lakh jointly or individually in addition to Rs 1,001 towards legal expenses to Rathore," Thakur said.

Rathore had also filed a petition in a local court, which is pending, he said.

In August 2015, the then Raigarh collector had written a letter to secretary of state Health department recommending action against the two doctors after finding them guilty in the matter, Thakur said.